Kingdom Hearts: Symphony of Sorrows (Hiatus until December)
by The Green Light Wolf
Summary: Before Ignis helped Sora and co combat the new Organization, there was a time when he was one of Thirteen Keyblade Warriors in a Union tasked with keeping the balance between the worlds secure. After one of these Warriors goes rogue and begins to hunt down the others, Ignis and his two best friends are forced into a horrible situation that will shape the Worlds for years to come.
1. Opening

Authors Note

Hey guys. :) So this will be the Fanfic that covers Ignis' backstory and adds a little something of my own to the 'Xehanort Saga'. In the timeline, it takes place before Birth By Sleep in the time where Xehnaort, Yen Sid and Eraqus were all still friends (which could be completely disregarded when KH3 comes out, then it will be AU). I won't be uploading this one as frequently, rather at key points in my KH3 story.

For this particular chapter, which is in the style of the opening movies (like BBS, KH1 and KH2), I suggest listening to Sakara Nagashi by Hikaru Utada (which is my personal theme song for my KH3 fanfic. Dont Think Twice is the canon and AMAZING) but the DJ Amaya vs Groovebot Remix for this fic. :) Because its a spinoff, so it gets a remix XD. PS skip to 35 seconds in.

Hope you enjoy!

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In a courtyard within a large white castle, three individuals enter a dueling ring outlined by golden lines on the ground. A tall woman with black hair and purple eyes looks on, her expression showing her fondness for the three young duelists. She wears a sleeveless purple dress that reaches to her ankles, with a slit down her left leg. Her feet are covered by white boots and she wears a series of various colored ribbons wrapped around her left arm with a white finger less glove covering that hand. Attached to the front of her dress, over her chest, is a silver broach with some purple accents that appears to be armored.

One of the duelists, a teenage boy with wild red hair and green eyes, is the first to summon his Keyblade in a burst of flame. The weapon has jagged edges, colored black and orange. He wears a white t-shirt cut off at his midriff, black shorts and orange combat boots with black laces. There is a gleam in his eyes and there is the briefest change in scenery, this time to a cliff side high above the Keyblade Graveyard . It shows the same boy, covered in black armor with metallic orange accents and a long black cloak. His keyblade is held in a similar stance and his armor has dents and cuts scattered across it.

The previous scene returns and another duelist summons their Keyblade, this time a female in a flash of white light. She is the same height as the red haired male and her skin is pale. Her green hair is pulled up into a high ponytail and her eyes are narrow and dark. Her weapon is longer than the first boy and more streamline, with a black blade and green hilt. She wears a full light grey bodysuit, unzipped partway down with a green t-shirt showing in the gap. Her hands are gloved and she wears combat boots as well, the same color as the bodysuit. Another flash and the scenery is back to Keyblade Graveyard. The girl is now encased in platinum armor with green metallic accents and a white cloak. She has fallen to one knee, looking at the other two while her Keyblade is plunged into the ground to keep her upright.

Finally in the first scene, the final duelist summons their Keyblade, another male in a haze of Darkness. He is taller than both of his companions and more muscular. His silver hair hangs past his chin but is brushed out of his eyes with bangs framing his narrow face and equally silver eyes. His weapon has a golden blade and purple hilt, its design far simpler than the others. He wears a black tank top and purple jeans, white combat boots with purple laces encasing his feet and full black gloves covering his hands. Off to the side, his dark purple coat lays discarded. Back to the Keyblade Graveyard and this male stands tall among the other two. His armor is silver with purple metallic accents and a black cloak. He appears to say something before dashing towards the other boy.

A different world appears now, one that is familiar. The red haired boy walks through the castle of Radiant Garden, talking to a man with slicked back blonde hair, orange eyes and a crimson scarf wrapped around his neck. The two share a laugh and the scene changes to the shore of Destiny Islands. Night has fallen and a child with silver hair and eyes looks out at the ocean longingly. Time shifts quickly and its daytime, the boy having grown into the silver haired duelist from the first location. Tears fall from both of his eyes and he lets them fall, hitting the sand only to be washed immediately away by the tide coming in. The sea water covers his boots but he ignores it, clenching his left hand into a fist and screaming. The scene returns to the Keyblade Graveyard, the silver armored boy kicking the holding the platinum armored girl up in the air by her throat while locking the black armored boy in a blade lock with the Keyblade in his other hand.

Back to the dueling ring and the three are dancing around in a fast paced battle. The red haired boy proves to be the fastest, able to strike his silver haired counterpart on the shoulder and spinning out of the way of an attack by the green haired female. The scene changes to a forest with the Castle of Dreams in the background where the green haired girl stands alongside the purple haired woman, both of them with Keyblades drawn. Across from them stands a figure encased in cracked golden Keyblade armor, an equally damaged looking Keyblade clasped in his hands. Behind him stands another female dressed completely in white, her light blue hair falling free and a look of hatred on her pretty face. She points to them and the scene changes yet again.

The red haired boy is running across the plains of Enchanted Dominion as the Darkness swallows up everything behind him in a hurricane of evil power. He runs past the silver haired boy who is walking towards the darkness with a blank expression on his face. As the darkness swallows him up, the silver haired boy stops and the red haired boy reaches out for and calls to his friend as a dark skinned hand grips the silver haired boys shoulder. The scene changes back to the Keyblade Graveyard as the platinum armored girl fends off desperate strikes from the silver armored male, the black armored teen now lying on the ground unmoving. Flashes of a similar battle back in the dueling room come in and out, poetically showing the movements of the male and female as they battle in both scenes.

A black haired male dressed in a white haori converses with a white haired male dressed all in black with amber eyes within another room within the white castle from the first scene. They appear to be arguing over something when another male enters the room, dressed in blue robes and a matching hat with stars across it. Concern is on the blue robed mans face as he tries to quell the issue between the two other males. The scene changes to them all now older, standing back to back and facing away from one another. The man in the haori now has a sad, scarred face and appears to be transparent. The white haired male is now bald with a beard and a smirk on his aged features. Lastly, the robed male now also has an impressive beard and his expression is serious. One by one they shift into something else. The man in the haori changes into three star shaped charms, one blue, one orange and the other green. The bald man disappears in an eruption of dark energy, thirteen dark orbs blasting out in different directions. Finally, the robed man fades away and his hat falls downwards into a pair of white gloved hands with the silhouette of a mouse appearing.

The duel has ended in the courtyard of the white castle and all three duelists smile at one another, moving in for a three way fist bump as the purple haired woman looks on contentedly. This changes abruptly to the Keyblade Graveyard where the still bodies of two of the warriors lay on the ground while the final remaining duelist kneels beside them and looks up towards the sky, tears running down their cheeks as rain begins to fall. Suddenly all three are sucked downwards into a dark abyss and begin falling with their eyes closed. The red haired boy opens his eyes and looks down at a colored glass platform that pictures a young boy with wild brown hair, dressed in a white t-shirt and red shorts. He appears to be asleep and is cradling a small white orb close to his chest. A smile starts to cross the red haired boys face and he slowly closes his eyes as the three friends fade into darkness.

* * *

 **KINGDOM HEARTS**

 **SYMPHONY OF SORROWS**


	2. Day Zero

Authors Note

So I'm finally updating this story with its first chapter! :) So before I start, I should just put this here. This story takes place well before BBS in the timeline (of my mind lol). In this time, it's long enough after Unchained, but so long before KH1 that people don't really know what Heartless are. Yes, in Unchained they know what Heartless are, but I'm putting that down to knowledge lost to time. So in this story, Heartless will be referred to as Dwellers, because they mostly dwell within the Darkness.

Hope ya'll enjoy this!

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Ignis loved to fight.

The red haired Keyblade wielder felt like he had been born to do it. He put all his time and effort into perfecting his dueling skills, researching different styles in the Great Library, and pestering his master or fellow students to spar with him. He knew that it sometimes annoyed those around him, but most of the time, they indulged him. He particularly relished the sparring sessions that his master ran once a week, where Ignis and his masters two other students would engage in a three way duel. Although they lived in a time of peace among the Worlds, the Grand Master insisted that everybody within the Keyblade Union kept up their training and continued to improve their skills.

Participating in one such sparring session, Ignis stepped quickly to the side to barely escape a strike from Luceat's Keyblade. The silver haired male seemed to be a step ahead of Ignis and dashed forward, suddenly reversing the trajectory of his weapon to aim a second attack towards Ignis' chest. At the last second, Ignis brought up his own Keyblade and chuckled as their weapons locked.

"Gotta be faster than that, Lu." Ignis smirked, breaking off from the bladelock and putting distance between them as Praesi closed in from behind Luceat.

"I almost had you." Luceat made a flourish with his weapon, stepping to the side as Praesi attempted an attack from behind. The silver haired male casually pointed his Keyblade at the females exposed side. "That would have been a kill shot."

"Really?" Praesi twisted to bat Luceats weapon away with her own, taking her Keyblade in a two handed grip and bringing her Keyblade across in a powerful slash.

"Mhm." Luceat stepped backwards out of the range of her weapon, holding his own Keyblade in what appeared to be a loose, one handing grip with the tip pointing at the ground. His other hand rested calmly in the air parallel to his elbow. "Taking the time to use a two handed grip slows your attack down considerably you know."

"Luceat, are you criticizing them again!?" Their master called, running a hand through her hair with a sigh as she stood on the sidelines of the dueling ring. "Thats my job!"

"Then do it." Luceat replied simply, fending off a succession of follow up attacks by Praesi.

Ignis watched the two battle, his mind racing as he thought of a way to take them both out. Luceat had an elegant style that always made it look like he was putting in as little effort as possible, or perhaps that was just the stoic expression that was ever present on his pale face. Praesi on the other hand, favored a more powerful and straightforward style, always letting out grunts and cries as she attacked, and defended. If somebody didn't know them and they were watching the duel, the person would surely think Praesi was at a disadvantage. But Ignis knew from experience that they were evenly matched duelists.

"What are you doing Ignis!?" Their master called once more. "Get in there!"

"On it, Master Eoliandan!" Ignis offered her a wide smile, which the female took with an expectantly raised eyebrow.

Ignis gripped his weapon tightly and ran forward, looking to engage Luceat first. As Praesi occupied Luceats Keyblade with a powerful slash that caused their weapons to clash against one another, Ignis swung his weapon at Luceats shoulder. It met its mark and Luceat gasped, breaking off to put distance between them. Ignis spun to the side, avoiding a sudden attack from Praesi who grunted in obvious frustration that she'd missed. However, Ignis didn't have time to think about a counter attack because Luceat came around from the other side, attempting to stab the end of his Keyblade into Ignis' free arm. Ignis dropped, rolling backwards and bringing up his weapon just in time to block another attack from Praesi. Trapped on his knees with Praesi pressing down against his Keyblade, Ignis realized that he'd made a mistake.

"Thats enough for today!" Master Eoliandan called and immediately Praesi drew back from the deadlock.

"Saved by the bell." She said teasingly, dismissing her Keyblade, Twilight Guardian, in a flash of white light.

"A pity. I was about to take the win." Luceat sighed, his own Keyblade, Destiny in Dusk, disappearing slowly into the Darkness.

"Oh no! I totally had you guys right where I wanted you." Ignis assured his friends, letting his own Keyblade, Backdraft, fade away in a flare of flame as he stood up. "My victory was all but assured."

"Somehow, I doubt it." Praesi gave him a look before raising her fist in the space between them. "Good job guys."

"Did you have you hit me so hard?" Luceat asked as both he and Ignis bumped their fists with Praesi's in a three way fist bump.

"Like you would have held back." Came Ignis' reply in a good natured tone.

"Is one of my babies hurt?" Everybody turned to look at Master Eoliandan, who had a look of mock pity on her face. "And from a glancing blow too? Sounds serious."

"I believe that I will live." Luceat replied. His voice was dull as always, but he had an amused look in his silver eyes.

"Well good!" Master Eoliandan stated, letting one hand rest on her hip. "It would be a real shame if one of you guys couldn't undergo your Mark of Mastery Exam's tomorrow."

"Speaking of which, did you find out which Master will be overseeing them?" Ignis asked, excitement flowing through him. He'd been waiting for this day for over a decade.

"You know that it's supposed to be a surprise." Master Eoliandan replied chidingly, glancing up at the Union Castle that towered over them all. "At least you know it's not going to be me, so you actually have a chance of passing."

"Well, there are only so many options really." Luceat shrugged, moving to pick up his coat which was had been discarded to the side of the dueling ring at the beginning of their sparring session.

"Oooh I hope it's Master Irax!" Ignis exclaimed, clenching his fists in excitement. "I've always wanted to fight the Guardian himself."

"Don't be ridiculous. That would be suicide." Praesi scoffed. "I'd prefer to fight Master Eraqus. He's an amazing fighter who ISN'T going to lose himself in a berserker state."

"I just want a challenge, ya know?" Ignis replied, pouting slightly. "I hope it's not Master Xehanort. He talks way too much."

"It won't be him." Luceat assured him. "He's too busy travelling the Worlds like always."

"It doesn't matter who it is. Just do your best and I'm sure you'll pass." Master Eoliandan offered a bright smile before continuing. "Now then, it's time for lunch."

"Yes!" Ignis pumped his fists excitedly and raced towards the Union Castle.

"Slow down!" Master Eoliandan called behind him with a laugh.

* * *

After lunch, Ignis found himself in the Great Library, poring through one of the various books on the Keyblade dueling styles of old. According to the text he was reading, most trained Keyblade wielders fell into one of five categories.

Knights, which were duelists who focused on a powerful and straightforward style and rare magical enhancements.

Fencers, who focused on precision and conservation of movement, while generally avoiding magic.

Spellswords, who preferred to incorporate various offensive magical techniques into their swordplay to overwhelm an opponent.

Monks, who used their entire body as a weapon alongside their Keyblade and were known for their speed, and agility.

Then finally, there were the Templars, who were known for their high stamina and use of defensive magical techniques.

The text also made it abundantly clear that those were not the only sorts of Keyblade fighting styles out there, but easily the most common. Ignis took a moment to consider it, letting his head fall into his open palm.

"I guess that makes me a Monk, Prae a Knight and Lu a Fencer." He made a 'hmm' noise before jumping as somebody spoke up behind him.

"Are you talking to yourself?" There was the slightest hint of amusement in Luceat's voice.

"Gee Lu, do ya have to sneak up on people like that?" Ignis spun to glare at his friend before gesturing to his book which was open on the page about dueling styles. "I'm just studying this book."

"Dueling styles hm?" Luceat replied, taking a seat to Ignis' left and sliding the book over so that it was in front of him. His silver eyes raced across the pages in silence for a few moments. "I agree with this text. It appears to be correct."

"Wow, I'm sure the Union Leader of old who wrote it would be so impressed with you agreeing." Ignis snatched the book back, eyeing his friend. "What are you doing here anyway?"

"I was looking for you and knew there is a severely limited number of places that you frequent." Luceat explained.

"Stalker." Ignis snickered.

"You're just predictable." Luceat deadpanned. "Are you prepared for the Mark of Mastery exams?"

"I've got this." Ignis nodded. "You and Prae will definitely pass too."

"And then what?" Luceats question caught Ignis off guard and the red head took some time to consider it.

"I guess I'll... train people and stuff." Ignis frowned. "What are you going to do?"

"I am considering asking for permission to venture into the Realm of Darkness." Luceat stared at Ignis, whose mouth had dropped at his friends statement.

"What!?" Ignis exclaimed, before realizing where he was and dropping his voice. "The Grand Master will never let a freshly minted master go into the Realm of Darkness. Why do you even want to go there?"

"My Keyblade is connected to the Realm of Darkness." Luceat stated flatly. "I simply wish to know how deeply that connection runs."

"And your first idea is to just, waltz into a place that is the home of all Dwellers alone?" Ignis chuckled in disbelief. "You're crazy."

"I never said that I intended to go alone." Luceat continued to stare at Ignis until his meaning dawned on the red head.

"Oooooh no." Ignis shook his head furiously. "If some of those Dwellers want to come into the Realm of Light, I'll take em on. But even I know better than to face them on their home turf. At my level anyway. "

"The prospective challenge doesn't excite you?" Luceat raised an eyebrow, the faintest shadow of a smirk appearing on his face.

"O-of course it does." Ignis' brows furrowed together. "It's just, I don't think I'm quite ready for that ya know? Maybe in a couple of years."

Luceat regarded him silently and Ignis stared back with an unusually stern expression for the red head. Ordinarily, he would love to fight just about anybody, but there were things even he wouldn't do just for the heck of it. Master Eoliandan had told them all many stories about the Dwellers as they grew up in the Land of Arrival. Dwellers were beings created when somebody in the Realm of Light died an unclean death. They were the embodiment of the strong emotions left behind in the Hearts of those people, be it rage, sorrow, regret or many more. It was extremely rare for one to venture into the Realm of Light, but to do so, a Dweller had to be quite powerful. Within the Realm of Darkness, Dwellers were at their most powerful and numerous. According to Master Eoliandan, there were as many Dwellers in the Realm of Darkness as there were people in the Realm of Light. Perhaps more.

"Don't think that you can just stare at me with that handsome face of yours. I'm not budging on this." Ignis finally broke the silence, earning a soft smirk from his friend.

"That usually works." Luceat had a slightly teasing tone to his deep voice.

"Yeah well... not this time!" Ignis tore his gaze away, looking back down at the book and forcing himself to keep his eyes there. "Conversation closed."

"Very well." Luceat stood up. Ignis could still feel the other males silver eyes on him. "Praesi wanted us to meet her at Twilights Peak in an hour. I believe she has a gift for us."

"Ill see you there then." Ignis blurted out all too quickly. Luceat said nothing and Ignis waited until his friends retreating footsteps were no longer audible before letting out a long sigh. "Can't believe he thought that was going to work. Just staring at me like that." Ignis scoffed, turning the page in his book. Moments later, his expression softened and he shook his head. "What am I saying? It probably would have."

* * *

An hour later, Ignis hurried up to Twilights Peak, a cliff behind the Union Castle which overlooked the entire valley. As he arrived, Praesi and Luceat were already seated at their usual spot on the edge of the cliff. Praesi sat with her knees drawn into her chest while Luceat let his legs hang freely over the side. The silver haired boy had always been far to comfortable with his surroundings.

"Sorry I'm late!" Ignis greeted his friends, sitting down next to Luceat and letting his own legs fall into the empty space. It was such a strange, yet freeing feeling. "I got absorbed in one of the texts."

"What a surprise." Luceat and Praesi responded in unison.

"What? At least one of us is actually interested in proper dueling." Ignis snapped back with a smile.

"All the dashing and flipping you do is not dueling." Praesi deadpanned, shaking her head.

"I agree. I'm obviously the only one here who could be called a duelist." Luceat's usual monotone was again laced with a teasing tone.

"Oh shut up." Ignis rolled his eyes, but his smile remained in place. "What did you want to meet here for anyway Prae?"

"Oh, I made us all new Keyblade chains." Praesi replied, tossing her friends each a small chain with a charm at the end. Luceats chain was golden, with a purple charm in the shape of a sea shell on the end. Ignis' had a black chain with an orange charm in the shape of a rose on the end. Praesis own chain was black with a green charm in the shape of a half star on the end. "Master Yen Sid enchanted them for me. He said that they would make as stronger whenever we're together. But, I don't know if thats really what he did."

"Hey, if he said he did it, then he did. That guy has a knack for weird magic." Ignis examined his charm slowly, his smile widening. "You based the charms on our home worlds?"

"Yup. I thought we could all use some luck with the exams tomorrow." Praesi nodded, summoning her Keyblade and fixing the chain into place. As the boys did the same, Praesi pointed her Keyblade out into the space in front of them. "Let's promise to never let anything come between us. I see what happened with some of the Masters and I don't want that to happen to us."

"It wont." Luceat stated confidently, also pointing his weapon outwards alongside Praesi. Slowly, the silver eyes fell on Ignis. They were softer than usual. "Nothing could ever come between us."

"Y-yeah." Ignis' voice was unusually quiet as he held Luceat's gaze briefly before pointing out his Keyblade and staring off into the distance with a huge smile. "Friends forever!"

* * *

 **Thirteen Days Later**

Ignis flew backwards, the breath leaving his chest from the powerful kick. His back slammed into the rock face, leaving him completely unable to breathe for several seconds. He crumpled to the ground, his Keyblade clattering down beside him. He could feel the cracks in his armor through the magic that connected him to the metal and after recovering his breathing somewhat, he examined the battle before him.

Praesi and Luceat, the both of them armored, swung their weapons back and forth almost wildly. Both of them were off, exhausted from a previous fight against a shared enemy. Ignis glanced at a fourth body, lying motionless nearby. Lifeless. His heart slammed in his cheat and tears came to his eyes unbidden. This was all wrong. How had they gotten here?

"Luceat!" Ignis cried, pulling himself to his feet and picking up his Keyblade. "Please, stop!"

Luceat ignored his pleas and Ignis watched the male start to overwhelm Praesi. It was an obvious advantage. Luceat's fighting style allowed for him to use less energy in combat, while Praesi's required a spark that just wasn't there in that moment. Gritting his teeth, Ignis raced forward to join the battle. He reached Luceat, swinging his Keyblade at the other males exposed back. Luceat stepped to the side at the last second and Ignis' weapon impacted against Praisi's head instead, sending the armored female to the ground briefly. Ignis found Backdraft being knocked from his hands and cried out as something slammed into his barely protected ribs and then his head. He also plumetted to the ground, catching himself from falling completely and looked up at Luceat through a newly created hole in his helmet, tears falling from his eyes.

"You don't have to do this Luceat!" Ignis pleaded, trying to peer through the helmet of the taller male to find the familiar silver eyes and hearing Praesi roll to her feet out of his field of vision.

"I'm doing what needs to be done." Luceat replied coldly before swinging his Keyblade down towards Ignis without further hesitation.


End file.
